The closest game of the whole tournament so far saw the West Indies just edge out their Group A opponents England in the battle for top spot.

I got back just in time to my uncle’s house on Sunday night after our trip to France and Belgium over the weekend to hear the final two deliveries of this close encounter, which saw West Indies player Kycia Knight hit a boundary to secure the four-wicket victory for her team with just three balls remaining.

England batted first on a slow, tacky and trudged their way to a final score of 8/115 off their 20 overs. England’s lower order pushed up their score, as only one of the top six batters made more than eight. That player was the experienced Tammy Beaumont, who made 23 from 28 balls.

Performing with the bat down the order, Sophia Dunkley and Anya Shrubsole put on a key partnership of 57 to get England back into the game after they were 6/50 when Shrubsole joined the former at the crease.

Dunkley was the standout player with the bat out of the two, making 35 off 30 which included a six and three more boundaries. Shurbsole also hit a six, on her way to 29 from 26 deliveries.

Medium swing bowler Shakera Selman took 2/15 off four overs for the West Indies at an economy rate of 3.75 per over, with the pitch suiting smart bowling with plenty of variation that made consistent scoring hard to come by.

Just like England’s innings, the West Indies found this particular track tough to get going on, with only two players getting significant scores. However, those scores were more substantial than those made by Shrubsole and Dunkley by England.

Deandra Dottin top scored with 46 from 52 as she shared a crucial 68-run partnership with teammate Shemaine Campbelle who made a swifter 45 from 42.

Despite Shrubsole’s best effort with the ball, with figures of 3/10 off 3.3 overs, Knights’ boundary hitting heroics in the final over helped the West Indies reach the target of 116 as they recorded a four-wicket win.

This result means the West Indies finish top and will play Australia on Thursday evening in the opening semi-final. England finishes second and will face India on early Friday morning at the conclusion of the previous semi-final.